The Kerala Story producer Vipul Shah on why he stopped working with Akshay Kumar after collaborating non-stop

Akshay Kumar and producer-director Vipul Shah have worked together in films such as Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005), Namastey London (2007) and Action Replayy (2010). In a recent interview, Vipul reacted to reports that the duo had a fallout. Vipul also opened up about why he stopped working with Akshay. Also read: The Kerala Story producer Vipul Shah responds to backlash, says film ‘is not against Muslims or Islam’

Vipul said that he and Akshay Kumar ‘continuously worked together on a non-stop basis’ for a ‘very long period’. He added that after he realised that he ‘needed’ to work with other actors, he started ‘venturing out’. Vipul said that he had even started writing his characters ‘keeping in mind Akshay’s style’.

On why he stopped working with Akshay

When asked about his reported fallout with Akshay, Vipul Shah told News18, “There’s no hard feeling. I don’t fight with anybody. I’m a very peace loving and happy person. I’ve never had any fights in my entire career… What happens in the industry is that when you take a break from working with somebody, people assume that something must have transpired and think, ‘Something must have gone wrong, otherwise why wouldn’t they be working together!’ But that’s now how it is.”

On Aankhen 2

Vipul also said that whenever the time and project are right, he will collaborate with Akshay again. However, when he was asked about whether he will be a part of the Aankhen sequel, Vipul Shah said he won’t be. The 2002 film was directed by Vipul and featured Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Sushmita Sen and Paresh Rawal in the lead roles.

Vipul said in the same interview, “Even if Aankhen 2 is happening, I’m not going to be a part of it. I had given the copyright of the script to the producer. At that time, I wasn’t a producer, I was only the director of the film. And now, I don’t wish to get involved with it.”

Vipul’s last film

He backed The Kerala Story, which was released on May 5. The film directed by Sudipto Sen features Adah Sharma, Sonia Balani and Yogita Bihani. The Kerala Story is one of the most successful Hindi films this year; it had entered the ₹200 crore club after a fortnight of its release.

After the film’s trailer had claimed that 32,000 women went missing from Kerala, many had objected to the estimated figures. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had labelled it a ‘distorted story’, and also imposed a ban on the film in the state, which was lifted after the Supreme Court asked the state government to remove the ban on the screening of the film.